Plastic waste from wire recycling is generated on the order of tons annually. It is typically a compilation of waste from many wire housing types and comprises difficult or inseparable components, including polyethylene (PE), nylon, rubber, thermosets, crosslinkers and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This post-industrial waste is typically disposed of in landfills. With decreasing landfill space and public concern over the potential leaching of hazardous wastes from plastic wastes in landfills, efforts have been made to develop schemes for recycling plastic waste or certain of its useful components. However, the costs required to recover recyclable plastic from recycling residues may make such processes prohibiting expensive. For example, plastics from wire choppings and electrical wire are segregated into polymer type, such as PVC and PE, and reprocessed into a variety of industrial products (U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,985; Plastic Recovery Systems). The remainder of components which are not reusable are disposed of in landfills.
There exists a need for alternative methods for reclaiming plastic waste in a cost effective manner which utilizes the entire waste generated from wire chopping operations. Such methods would alleviate landfill crowding and toxic waste leaching in the landfill.